Ventilator



Ju y 1, 1962 D. A. KELLY 3,046,865

VENTILATOR Filed June 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR DAN/EL ALLCOTT KELLY H/S ATTORNEY D. A. KELLY July 31, 1962 VENTILATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1959 DAN/EL ALLGOTT KELLY INVENTOR H/S ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,@46,865 Patented July 31, 1962 3,046,865 VENTILATOR Daniel Allcott Kelly, 312 Broad St., Salem, Va. Filed June 29, 1959, Ser. No. 823,565 10 Claims. (Cl. 98-2) This invention relates to ventilators and has for its primary object the provision of an improved ventilator for regulating the flow of air through an opening connecting a compartment to outside air.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ventilator which is both two-way and hingeless and, when closed, is weatherproof.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved ventilator the closure member of which is shiftable into a plurality of positions for regulating the flow of air through an opening and is restrained against shifting by a force which is substantially uniform over its range of positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ventilator incorporating spring means for releasably holding it in any of a plurality of positions wherein the force exerted by the spring means may readily be adjusted to suit a particular application.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ventilator whereby, instead of having a fixed anchorage, the spring means by Which its closure memher is restrained against movement may be carried by a lever through which the closure member is moved.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a ventilator wherein a lever fixed centrally to the closure member and elongatable against spring resistance for engagement of means carried thereby with a notched rim of a positioning member bridging the opening coverable by the closure member, may be used both for moving the closure member and for holding that member in any of its plurality of positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved two-way hingeless ventilator which is simple and rugged in construction and both economical to manufacture and eflicient and of long life in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an inside perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the ventilator of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the ventilator of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an outside view of the ventilator of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side view on an enlarged scale, with portions broken away and shown in section to illustrate certain of the details of construction of the lever of the ventilator of the preceding figures; and

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views all taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 1 and on a somewhat larger scale, showing, respectively, closed and rearand front-opened positions of the closure member.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved ventilator of the present invention may be employed as a oneor two-Way ventilator for ventilating either a stationary or a moving compartment and, in its two-way form in which it may be opened either forwardly or rearwardly, is particularly proficient in ventilating a compartment of a moving vehicle, such as a cab of a locomotive or truck, by admitting air .at lower speeds and ventilating air at higher speeds. It is this two-way form that has been illustrated as exemplary of the invention.

a The improved ventilator is comprised of a closure memher, cover or shutter 1 which will usually be rectangular and is adapted to close or cover an opening 2 of similar configuration through which a vehicle cab or other compartment (not shown) is connectable to outside or ambient air. The particular wall (not shown) interrupted by the opening 2. will depend on the nature of the compertinent to which the ventilator is applied but for a vehicle compartment, ordinarily will be the roof or a side wall or, in the case of a cab, may be the cowling in front of the Windshield. Also, while the opening 2 may be cut or otherwise formed in the wall itself, for convenience in manufacture, it preferably is formed in .a mounting or base plate 3 suitably attachable, as by bolting or riveting, about a larger aperture or opening (not shown) in the wall and thereafter forming part of the latter.

The closure member 1 may be hingedly connected to the mounting plate 3, if the ventilator is to open in one irection. However, in the illustrated two-way form, such a connection is neither required nor desired, the ventilator instead being hingeless and the closure member swinging, pivoting or rocking on or against the mounting plate 3 in a direction substantially normal thereto at one side or another of the opening 2 depending on the direction in which the member is opened. Nonetheless, it normally will be necessary substantially to fix the pivots of the closure member 1 to prevent it from sliding or shifting along or parallel to the mounting plate 3 as it is opened and closed. This is accomplished by providing on the mounting plate 3 .a pair of preferably substantially parallel abutments or shoulders 5, each at or adjacent one of the opposite sides or marginal edges of the opening 2 spaced in the direction in which the closure member is designed to swing, here the front and rear edges 5, and each adapted for bearing engagement with an adjoining or corresponding of a pair of similarly related sides or edges of the closure member on swinging of the latter.

in the illustrated embodiment, the pivot-fixing abutments 5 conveniently are formed in a preferably rectangular frame 6 fixed or secured to or rigid with the outer or closure member-confronting surface 7 of the mounting plate 3 about and bounding the opening 2, by the opposite sides or side portions of the inner of a pair of substantially parallel inner and outer lips or flanges 8 and 9, respectively, outstanding from the surface 7 and spaced transversely by outwardly opening grooves 10, all of which extend continuously about the opening 2. The closure member 1 in turn has as its abutment-engaging sides, the corresponding opposite sides or side portions of a preferably rectangular continuous instanding or depending marginal or peripheral skirt or flange 11, integral with or carried by and extending about the closure member and which in the closed position of the latter is adapted to seat in the groove 10 between the outstanding lips 8 and 9. The interfit so provided between the closure member 1 and the frame 6 serves notonly to limit, to the width of the groove 10, sliding of the closure member in any direction parallel to the mounting plate 3 during opening and closing, but also ensures that when, in the closed position of the closure member, the skirt 11 is fully seated in the groove It) and releasably embracing the inner lip 8, the ventilator will be weatherproof.

With the hingeless pivots or axes at the front and rear of the opening 2, about which the closure member 1 swings or pivots in opening forwardly and rearwardly, substantially fixed by the corresponding opposite side portions of the skirt 11 and the inner lip 8 or the groove 10 and substantially parallel to each other and the outer surface 7 of the mounting plate 3, the preferred exterior closure member is swung or moved through and, most conveniently, by a control, operating or actuating lever or handle 12 screwed or otherwise fixed or secured to or rigid with and instanding from the inner face 13 of the closure member. The lever 12 is disposed between or bet 1, the pin 14 is designed to ride or slide alonga convex guid'ewayj 15 on and conveniently forming the rim or periphery of a preferably somewhat sector-or fan shaped of sectoral guide or positioning plate or member 16 spanning or bridging the opening 2 longitudinally or from front to rear in the direction of swinging of the closure member and having feet 17 at its opposite extremities fixed to the inner surfacels of the mounting plate 3 beyond the front and rear edges of the opening 2. Intermediate its feet 17, the positioning plate 16 conveniently is substantially flat and disposed substantially normal to the mounting plate 3. Its rim .315 is arched or faces away from that plate and is interrupted by a plurality of spaced notches or other suitable stops 1 9 in which the pin 14 is adapted selectively to seat and which, by governing the angular disposition of the closure member 1 relative to the frame 6, determine whether the closure member is closed or, it open, the direction in and extent to which it is opened.v a

To hold the 'pin 14 in theselected of the notches 19, displacement, movement or shifting of the pin outwardly or away from the closure member, 1 is yieldably resisted by a. coil spring or other suitable resilient, yieldable or spring means 20 carried by the lever.

member for urging the pin toward the'latter, the spring 20 effectively serves to restrain outward movement of the pin and so, yieldably restrain or resist dislodgement or displacement of'the pin from the notch 19 in which it is selectively seated. The spring reacting against the closure member 1, the latter, in turn, is pulled inwardly againstthe frame 6 and if then at an angle thereto has its skirt 11 at the side on which it is pivoting urged against the corresponding side of the inner lip 8 on the frame.

While the lever 12 might be of fixed length with the pin 14. shiftable outwardly along it against the resistance of the spring 20, as by a secondary releasing lever (not shown), it is preferred that the lever itself be elongatable or longitudinally extendable to shift the pin relative to the closure member and that the spring be contained in a rather than carried exteriorly by the lever. To this end,

the preferred lever '12 includes an inner body or base part or portion 21 which is fixed or secured to or rigid with the screw or rod 23, the preferably flat, circular head 24 of which rides or slidesin apreferably cylindrical axial or central'cavity or aperture 25 opening onto the inner end of the base part 21 of the lever and the cylindrical stem or shank 26 of which extends through and has a sliding fit with aligned'axial or central cylindrical bores 2-7 and.

28 in the inner and outer parts 21 and 22 outwardly of and of reduced section relative to the cavity. The stem of the connecting screw 23 is smooth toward its head 24 but threaded over its opposite or outer end portion 29 for internal threaded engagement with the outer part 22 of the lever 12, the outer end portion 30 of the bore 28 in which is threaded for that purpose.

Extending or projecting beyond the outer part 22, the threaded end portion 29 of the stem 26 conveniently serves. as a mounting for attachment of an actuating knob other tool for turning the screw 23 and so adjusting the axial spacing of its head 24 from the outer part 22. The spring being contained in the cavity and encircling the stem between and acting against the head 24 and the confronting end wall 33 of the cavity, such adjustment of the screw, by varying the compression of the spring, enables the restraining force exerted by the spring against elongation of the lever and, correspondingly,- the force with which the locking pin 14 is held in eachnotch 1-9, to be adjusted as desired to suit the particular installation.

Not only is the restraining force exerted by the spring I ZtP'adjustable as desired by turning the screw 23 relative to the outer par-t 22 of the lever :12, but in the preferred embodiment this force is substanti'allythesame or uniform for all of the positions of the closure member 1 over the l-atters range of movement. This uniformity or same- Y ness in force is in part a function of the carrying of the 7 Acting longitu- 1 dinally of the lever '12 between the pin 14 and the closure spring 20 by the lever 12, but in the main the function. of the particular curvature given the guideway 15 on the positioning plate 16. Although the plate as a whole .is sectoral, it actually is formed of two circular sections or segments 34, having the same radius but difierent centers, ,7

posite side of the opening 2 and'thus being substantially.

concentric with the portion of the inner lip 8 or groove 10 at that side. As a consequence, the pin 14 in riding along the notched or serrated rim 15 of the guide plate 16' at either side of' the rims center, will describe an are having as its substantial center the pivot about which the closure member is then swinging and it is only necessary for the notches 19 to be of susbtantiallyuniform depth for the force exerted by the spring 20 to be correspondingly uniform.

Although the positioning plate 16 might be used alone, it is preferred to supplement it'by guide means at the other side of the lever 12 to ensure against cocking or canting of the closure member 1, as well as to aid the interfit between the skirt 11 carried by the closure member and the groove 10 in the frame 6 in centering the closure member laterally on the opening 2.. This is here accomplished by the use of a second or supplemental guide plate 35 spanning the opening 2 and fixed-or secured to the mounting plate 3 in the same fashion as the positioning plate 16, the guide and positioning plates being spaced and substantially parallel'and together defining a confronting'sides 38 of the lever desirably are substan- V tially flat. For convenience in forming, the supplemental guide plate 35 may be of the same somewhat sectoral 31 for ready manipulation of the lever. Additionally, this 7 portion of the stem 26 is slotted, as at 32, at its outer end' or otherwise suitably formed to take a screwdriver-or shape as the main guide or positioning plate 16. Also, although not necessary, the supplemental plate 35, if desired, may be notched in correspondence with the notching of the main plate 16 to receive an extension of the locking pin 14 and so supplement. the main plate, as"

well, in positioning the closure member 1.

Constructed in the above manner, the ventilator may and generally will be operated by direct manipulation of the lever '12, using the latter as an operating or actuating handle. However, if needed for a particular installation, the ventilator may be operated through a linkage (not 'shown) pivotally connected to the outer part 22 of the a lever 12, although this will usually entail a reduction in the restraint against movement of the closure member 1 i imposable if the lever is manipulated directly. In anyv case, the ventilator, for its intended operation, will have one of the notches 19'substantially at the center of the rim 15 of the. positioning plate 16 to fix the closed position of the closure member. 1 and should have. a plu- U rality of notches spaced along the rim at either side of the center to provide a corresponding number of open settings, as indicated in FIGURES 6 and 7, for regulating the amount of air either admitted or vented. I

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved ventilator which, in its preferred form, is both two-way and hingeless, as well as of particular utility when applied to a cab or other vehicle compartment. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against one surface of said wall for opening and closing said opening, guide means fixed to an opposite surface of said wall and extending crosswise of said opening, means secured to said closure member against relative movement in a direction longitudinal of said guide means, means movably connected to said secured means and spaced from said closure member, said connected means being engageable with said guide means and held by said secured means against movement relative to said closure member in a direction longitudinal of said guide means for positioning said closure member relative to said opening and said connected means being spring-urged toward said closure member and into engagement with said guide means for forcing said member against said one surface of said wall, and interfitting means on said closure member and wall and urged into engagement by said spring-urged means for substantially fixing the swinging axis of said closure member on swinging thereof in one direction relative to said wall.

2. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member alternately swingable against one surface of said wall about opposite sides of said opening for opening and closing said opening, guide means fixed to an opposite surface of said wall and extending substantially normal to said opposite sides of said opening, means secured to said closure member against relative movement in a direction longitudinal of said guide means and extending therefrom through said opening, means spaced from said closure member and connected to and movable relative to said secured means substantially normal to said closure member, said connected means being spring-urged toward said closure member and against said guide means for urging said closure member against said wall while determining the position of said member relative to said opening, and means fixed to said wall and interfitting with said closure member at each side of said opening, said interfitting means being urged into engagement by said springurged means for substantially fixing the swinging axes of said closure member relative to said wall.

3. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against one surface of said wall for opening and closing said opening, spaced guide means fixed to and projecting from an opposite surface of said wall, at least one of said guide means having a plurality of seats spaced therealong and facing away from said wall, means fixed to and extending from said closure member through said opening, means spaced from said closure member connected to and movable relative to said last-named fixed means substantially normal to said closure member, said means being spring-urged into engagement with at least said one guide means and acting thereagainst and on said closure member for selectively positioning said closure member relative to said opening and forcing said closure member into engagement with said one surface of said wall, and interfitting means on said wall and closure member at opposite sides of said opening and urged into engagement by said spring-urged means for substantially fixing the swinging axis of said closure member on swinging thereof about either of said sides relative to said wall.

4. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof connecting to outside air, comprising a closure member swingable on said wall for opening and closing said opening, lever means fixed to said closure member for swinging thereof to open and closed positions, guide means fixed to said wall, means movably connected to said lever means and engageable with and shiftable along said guide means for determining the position of said closure member relative to said opening, said connected means being spring-urged toward said closure member and into engagement with said guide means for forcing said closure member against said wall, and means operative during swinging of said closure member for limiting movement thereof substantially parallel to said wall.

5. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof connecting to outside air, comprising a closure member swingable on said wall for opening and closing said opening, lever means fixed to said closure member for swinging thereof to open and closed positions, guide means fixed to said wall, means slidably connected to said lever means and movable relative thereto substantially normal to said closure member, said connected means being engageable with and shiftable along said guide means for determining the position of said closure member relative to said opening, spring means acting between said connected means and closure member for urging said connecting means against said guide means and said closure member against said wall, and means operative during swinging of said closure member for limiting movement thereof substantially parallel to said wall.

6. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof connecting to outside air, comprising a closure member swingable on said wall for opening and closing said opening, lever means fixed to said closure member for swinging thereof to open and closed positions, guide means fixed to said wall and extending transversely of said opening, means slidably connected to said lever means and movable relative thereto substantially normal to said closure member, said connected means being engageable with and shiftable along said guide means for determining the position of said closure member relative to said opening, spring means acting between said connected means and closure member for urging said connecting means against said guide means and said closure member against said wall, and means operative during swinging of said closure member for limiting movement thereof substantially parallel to said Wall.

7. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof connecting to outside air, comprising a closure member swingable against one surface of said wall for opening and closing said opening, positioning means fixed to and projecting from an opposite surface of said wall away from said closure member, a plurality of seats spaced along said positioning means and facing away from said wall, lever means fixed to said closure member for swinging thereof to open and closed positions, means connected to and movable relative to said lever means substantially normal to said closure member and selectively seatable in said seats for determining the position of said closure member relative to said opening, spring means acting between said connected means and closure member for urging said connected means against said positioning means and said closure member against said wall, and means operative during swinging of said closure member for limiting'movement thereof substantially parallel to said wall.

8. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof connecting to outside air,

7 comprising-a closure member swingable against an outer surface-of said wall for opening and closing said opening, lever-means fixed to-and instanding from an inner face of said closure member forswinging thereof to open and closed positions, positioning means fixed to and -instanding froman inner surface of said Wall and extending V connected means and closure member, and means operaf' tive during swinging of said closure member-for limiting transversely of said opening, a plurality of seats spaced I along" said positioning means and facing away from said opening, means connected to and movable relative to said lever means substantially normal to said closure member and selectively seatable in said seats for determining the face of said wall for opening andclosing said opening, a

plurality of transversely spaced positioning means fixed to an opposite surface of said wall and projecting therefrom away from said closure member, a plurality of seats on and spaced along at least one of said positioning means, lever means fixed to said closure member and extendingthrough said opening for-swinging said closure member to open and closed positions, means connected to and movable relativ e to said lever means substantially normal to said closure member and selectively seatable in said seats for determining the position of said closure member relative tosaid opening, spring means acting between said connected means and closure member for urging saidconnectedmeans against said positioning means and said closure member against said wall, means carried by said closure member and acting on said spring means for adjusting the force exerted thereby on said movement thereof substantially parallel to said wall.

10. A ventilator for ventilating a compartment throughan opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against an outer surface of said Wall'for'j opening and closing said opening, means fixed to said outer surface about said opening, means fixed to said.. closure member and embracing'said first-named fixedmeans in the closed position of said closure member for sealing said opening, said first and second-named fixedmeans cooperating during swinging of said closure membet for limiting movement thereof substantially parallelto said wall, positioning means fixed t0 and instan ding from an inner surface of said wall and extending transversely of said opening, a plurality of seats spaced along said positioning means and facing away from said wall, lever means fixed to said wall and instandin'g therefrom through said opening, means connected and movable relative to said lever means substantially normal to said closure member and selectively seatable in said seats for positioning said closure member relative to said opening,

and spring means acting between said connected meansand closure member for urging-said connected means against said positioning means and said closure member against said wall. f

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED ST ATES PATENTS 1,412,613 Henvis .AprL 11, 19221 1,497,624 Wells June 10, 1924 1,937,952 Galamb Dec. 5, 1933- 2,070,113 Burgess Feb. 9, 1937 2,158,245 Moore May 16, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS,

433,896 Great Britain Au izz, 193s 

